Descriptive portraiture of Europe in storm and calm; twenty years' experiences and reminiscences of an American journalist, sketches and records of noted events, celebrated persons and places, national and international affairs in France, Spain, Germany, Great Britain, Holland, Belgium, Austria, Hungary, Roumania, Turkey-in-Europe, Switzerland and Italy . though humble, instrument in the lib-eration of the great capital. But the bridges were not ready. The Prussians, as we had observedfrom the beginning of the campaign,and, in fact, all the German armies,carried with them, and took the utmostp
Descriptive portraiture of Europe in storm and calm; twenty years' experiences and reminiscences of an American journalist, sketches and records of noted events, celebrated persons and places, national and international affairs in France, Spain, Germany, Great Britain, Holland, Belgium, Austria, Hungary, Roumania, Turkey-in-Europe, Switzerland and Italy . though humble, instrument in the lib-eration of the great capital. But the bridges were not ready. The Prussians, as we had observedfrom the beginning of the campaign,and, in fact, all the German armies,carried with them, and took the utmostpains to keep in excellent order, pon-toon trains for all emergencies. Thepresence of these pontoon trains atthe rear of the advancing columnswas the means of saving many anoble bridge and viaduct in France,for the French, who are a very logicalpeople, were at once convinced thatit was useless to destroy fine masonryover streams which the enem^^ couldbridge for itself ten minutes afterthe arches and piers were has been not inaptly describedas an infinite capacity for taking pains,and the supply of this capacity in theGerman army was quite French could improvise a defenseout of the incessant labor of a few days ;in desperate valor and in self-sacrificethey were the peers of their enemy ; but, EUROPE IN STORM AND CALM. 339. 340 EUROPE IN STORM AND CALM. when it came to cool foresight andabundant calculation, they were infinitelyinferior. The Marne was not bridged at theproper time by the French pontoons,and the stupendous operations whichGeneral Vinoy and General Ducrot wereto have carried into effect were checked,and finally ruined. The only advantagewhich the French derived from the sortiewas the infliction of tremendous lossesupon the eneni}, and of the addition ofa brilliant page to French military his-tory. M. Favre, lonely in his cabinet, afterthe exhausting labors of the day, wrotenightly to Gambetta letters full of?energ}, courage, and hope. On
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Keywords: ., bo, bookauthorkingedward18481896, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880
